In arms’ way: The 1960s Latin American New Left thinking on war and politics

Abstract

This essay focuses on the theoretical debates about the relationship between politics and war within the Latin American “New Left” during the 1960s. Although these debates cannot by themselves explain the revolutionary mind-set of this new generation of political activists, they did contribute decisively, I argue, to its emergence including support to the armed struggle. Thus, my perspective moves away from one of the dominant interpretations, according to which the 1960s’ New Left was a direct result of previous and successful revolutionary experiences, such as the Cuban Revolution in particular. Following a critical approach, I will here propose an overview of the main theoretical inspirations of the 1960s Latin American New Left, detailing at the same time their uses and impact.